Oh, yay Another apocolypse
by Castianamicheals
Summary: Based off another fanfic story that I read. When Sam's Wall comes down, Dean, Cas and the Slayers need to figure out who did it and why.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

He looked sadly at the sleeping man on the bed that he was crouched beside. "I'm sorry, Samsquatch, but I can't let you, your brother and the lady Power Rangers interfere with my plans." He murmured quietly.

His golden brown eyes filled with regret as he touched Sam's forehead and brought the wall that Death had placed to protect him, down. Sam let out a small whimper as the wall disintegrated.

The man crouched beside his bed stood up and looked over at the man sleeping in the other bed. He smiled sadly and then, with an almost imperceptible flap of wings, disappeared from the room.

**Chapter 1.**

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean called out cheerfully; glancing at his little brother's sleeping form before heading into the bathroom to do his morning routine. When he came fully dressed, he noticed that Sam was still in the same position as he had left him.

Dean shrugged, put his boots on, grabbed the keys for the car and the room and quietly left the room to go get breakfast for the two of them.

When he got back, he placed the bag of food and two cups of coffee on the small table and looked over at his brother still crashed out on the bed.

A look of irritation crossed his face as he said "Sam! Breakfast!"

When that elicited no response, Dean walked over to the bed and roughly shoved his brother. "Sam, come on. Food."

When that still got no response, a frisson of fear snaked through him. "Sam, come on, man. This isn't funny anymore. Wake up!"

He crouched down next to the bed and, with a shaking hand, checked to see if his brother still had a pulse. He sighed with relief when he found it beating strongly against his fingers. He shrugged and then did something that he hadn't done for a VERY long time. He started to dress his brother. Usually, if he started doing that, Sam would wake up very irritated and shove his older brother away saying that he wasn't a little kid anymore and that he could dress himself. When, that failed to happen, Dean started getting a little worried again and then realized that he was probably completely wiped out from the hunt that they had been on earlier that week. He packed up the few belongings that they had in the room and took them out to the Impala.

They had packed up the car the previous night, and only left out what they needed the next morning, so that they could get an early start. _Kid must be really tired not to notice anything._ Dean thought, as he headed back into the room and managed to get Sam out of the room and into the passenger seat of the car. After buckling him up and closing the door, he headed back into the room for the coffee and bag of food. After quickly eating his breakfast sandwich and downing his lukewarm coffee, he headed to the office to check out.

A couple of hours later, he still hadn't heard Sam move or even make so much as a sound. He pulled the car over so that he could get a better look at his big baby brother. He checked his brother's forehead for signs of a fever and found a slight elevation in temperature. His lips pulled into a straight line, as worry filled his green eyes. Just then his cell phone rang. He checked to see who was calling and smiled, as he pressed talk.

"Hey, babe." He said, trying successfully to mask his worry, or so he thought.

"Hey, Dean." The female voice responded, Slayer hearing clearly picking up on the worry in his voice. "Is everything okay?" Buffy asked, concern marring her brow.

"Yep. Everything's fine. Me and Sammy are only four hours out of Cleveland, so we should be there in time for dinner." Dean said, a little too cheerfully.

"Dean, come on. This is me you're talking to. I can hear the worry. What's going on?"

He sighed and closed his eyes briefly as thought about how to respond. "Sammy won't wake up."

"Anything exciting happen that could cause that?" She asked.

Dean shrugged and replied "The only thing that happened was the salt and burn we did a couple days ago, but I checked him and he was fine." Fear starting to colour his voice. He switched the phone to his other hand and slid back into the driver's seat, put the car into gear and started driving on the road again.

"How about you come to the Council building when you get in. We have a pretty decent infirmary and a registered nurse." Concern filling her green eyes and was evident in her voice.

"Yeah, sure. See you then." He replied distractedly, focusing on the road after he hung up. Every so often during the four hour drive he would glance over at Sam, fear and worry darkening his green eyes.

As he approached Cleveland, he called Buffy to let her know how far away he was. As he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Buffy and two other Slayers, whose names escaped him at the moment. He parked and, as he was turning the engine off, they approached the car. He got out and went around to open the door so that they could get Sam out. The three Slayers and Dean got Sam in the infirmary and down onto a bed. The pretty nurse then proceeded to kick everyone out of the room. Including Dean.

"I need to get our stuff." He said, gruffly to his lover.

Sensing his need to be alone right now, she just nodded and said "Come to the kitchen when you come back in and I'll have coffee and food ready for you."

He nodded as he turned to go. She was tempted to go to him and hug him and reassure him, but she had the feeling that if she did that then her strong Hunter would fall apart right then and there. She knew that he wouldn't like that.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Even though he desperately needed her to comfort him, he still had something to do. Once he was outside, he called out for Cas.

The angel appeared in small rush of flapping wings. His tan trench coat billowing slightly and his slightly askew blue tie flipping. He took one look at his friend and his electric blue eyes filled with concern. "What is wrong, Dean?" He asked, his head cocked slightly as he looked at his friend.

"Thanks for comin', Cas. Sammy won't wake up and I don't what do." His voice rough with unshed tears. "You did the right thing by calling for me. Whatever is wrong I will fix it" Cas said, as they turned and walked into the heavily warded building.

In the infirmary, Cas walked over to the unconscious form of Sam on the hospital bed, as Dean and Buffy watched. Buffy had her arm entwined with Dean's in silent support. Neither of them saw the apprehension fill the angel's eyes as he removed the two fingers that he had laid on Sam's forehead.

"Well, Cas? Is he better?" Dean asked.

Castiel quickly changed his expression to one of neutrality as he turned around to face them.

"I think this would be better discussed elsewhere." He said, looking around meaningfully. They looked around and saw that they weren't alone.

How about we go to my office?" Buffy offered, knowing that the news couldn't be good. She let them precede her as she pulled out her cell and called Faith.

"Hey, B. What's the what?" Faith said, cheerfully, grateful for the distraction. She knew that the Winchesters were supposed to be pulling in to town soon and she really needed to talk to Sam about what happened the last time he was there.

"Think you could meet me in my office?"

Faith frowned. "Sure."

Unease starting to coil through her like a snake.

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, but I think you should get here soon." Buffy replied, carefully.

"On my way." Faith said and then ended the call. As she drove to the Council building a number of things had raced through her mind and by the time she got there, she was thoroughly freaked out.

Faith noticed that Buffy was sitting with Dean on the sofa in the office, stroking his hand, as if to console him. She noticed the angel in the trench coat standing with a troubled expression and she also noticed that Sam wasn't in the room. She took a breath to help quell the rising panic.

When Cas noticed her presence, he cleared his throat and looked like he wasn't sure where to begin.

Dean looked over to the angel and said "Cas, just spit it out already. I'm goin' crazy over here."

Faith walked over and sat on the other side of Buffy and looked at the angel, concern darkening her eyes. She knew that Sam wasn't dead. That much was obvious from the lack of total meltdown that the elder Winchester displayed. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. Things hadn't really ended well with Sam that last time.

Castiel looked at the three humans sitting on the sofa and he felt his heart break as he looked at Dean and knew that the Hunter really wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"I know why Sam won't wake up." Castiel started, _he's quite likely going to die_. The angel thought and knew that he couldn't say that.

"Someone broke the wall."

Dean paled and the air rushed from his lungs. Faith also paled and pain caught her breath as she remembered the last fight she had with Sam.

"_I have a wall in my head that if it ever comes down, I will probably die!" he had yelled at her, not understanding her reluctance to commit. "I love you and I know that you love me to, so what's your issue?" And here his voice softened into rejected pain "Why don't you want to be with me?" _

_Instead of answering the question, she had turned and fled out the motel door leaving Sam sitting on the bed, tears of pained rejection pooling in his hazel eyes. She knew that he had left the next day with his brother on some hunt or other and was secretly glad. This would give her the time that she needed to work through her issues. Not knowing that the next time she saw him, he would be in a coma._

She came back to the present when Buffy asked "What wall?"

Faith looked at her, a little surprised that Dean hadn't told her.

"When Sam got his soul back, a wall was placed in his mind to protect him from what happened to him while he was in the Cage." Castiel answered, still looking at Dean sympathetically.

Dean looked down as he ran his hands down his denim covered thighs as he tried to process what the angel had just told him. "You can fix it right?" He asked, looking at Cas, hope clear in his eyes.

And with a heavy heart, Castiel said "I'm sorry, Dean, but there's nothing to fix. Who or whatever did this to him disintegrated the wall. There's simply nothing left to work with. You knew that this might happen." He said, looking gravely at his friend.

Faith knew about the wall, but she never knew why it was there.

"What's this Cage that you're talking about?" She asked uneasily. Her eyes swinging from Dean to Cas and back again. She took in the pain on his face as Buffy knelt beside him, took him in her arms and laid his head on her chest. A low howl of primal pain issued forth from the elder Winchester, tears coursing down his face as Buffy tried her best to soothe him. Faith had known that the two brothers had always been close, but she hadn't realised before now just how close they really were.

Castiel turned to Faith to answer her question. "The Cage is where Michael sent his brother Lucifer."

"Michael and Lucifer? As in the biblical Michael and Lucifer?"

When Cas nodded, she softly said "Damn."

Her eyes widened as she finally realized why he had been so desperate to make their relationship more than just a sexual one. Her breath hitched in her chest as she looked over at Dean, only to find him staring at the floor.

Cas crouched down in front of Dean.

"Dean, look at me." He said in a slightly demanding voice, as Dean looked up, despair clouding his otherwise beautiful green eyes. Castiel touched the side of his face almost like a lover would. Buffy frowned a little at that and wondered just what kind of relationship Dean really had with the angel.

"This is NOT your fault." Cas said intensely, looking the Hunter right in his eyes searching for some sign of acknowledgement of what he just said. Buffy then looked at her lover's face and her breath caught in her throat at just how broken Dean looked right now. Like a little boy who had just gone through some horrible tragedy.

"I should've been more careful at that last motel. Made sure that the salt lines and wards were solid. I should've been standing watch over him. Made sure that nothing could get to him." Dean murmured. Guilt lacing his words and ripping his heart to shreds.  
>" I really should've been more careful."<p>

He turned his head into Buffy's chest to avoid seeing anyone and avoid anyone seeing the tears running down his face. Buffy wrapped her arms around her man and took a quick look at Faith to see how she was handling the situation. She saw Faith giving Dean a look of incredulous pain and seeing no blame being placed on Dean from her, she went back to comforting him.

"D, Cas is right. You are so not to blame for this." Faith said, pain and a little guilt colouring her words.

Castiel cocked his head and looked at Faith with an indecipherable expression. As the angel stood up, anger clouded his face and, as the two ladies looked at him, they felt the sheer amount power that was coming off of him in waves. It actually scared them a little as they finally understood the old saying about the wrath of heaven.

"I WILL find whoever did this and they WILL pay for it." Cas said menacingly as he walked out the door, leaving the two Slayers alone with the Dean.  
>Faith and Buffy looked at each other, almost afraid for whoever had broken Sam's Wall.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

After Cas left, Dean got up and bolted towards the infirmary, nearly knocking down several Slayers-in-training in his haste to get to Sam. Buffy and Faith followed at a slightly slower pace. Each recognizing his need to be alone with his brother.

Dean grabbed a chair, placed it beside his brother's bed, sat down and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, baby boy. Wake up for me." He whispered brokenly, tears streaming down his face. "Please, Sammy, wake up! I can't do this without you. You know that. Please, Sammy, wake up."

As Faith was about to enter the room, Buffy ducked around her and stood blocking the door. Both Slayers could hear exactly what Dean was saying and Faith just nodded her head in silent acceptance of Dean's need to be alone with his brother for now. With both Slayers blocking the door, no one could get in, which annoyed some of the fledgling Slayers because the grapevine worked over time to let the entire school know that two really good looking guys were in the infirmary and the really wanted to see them. The only one that Faith and Buffy let into the room was the nurse, Lily.

"I think you should call Dawn and let her know what's going on." Faith said quietly. "I'll protect the boys."

Buffy nodded and headed back to her office, heart breaking for her normally strong and stoic boyfriend. She really hadn't seen him like this before. Not even when his nightmares woke them up in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile, in a copse of trees in the Black Forest, Castiel arrived looking for the one remaining archangel that he knew wasn't trying to kill him off.

"How's it goin', bro?" Gabriel said, with a smirk.

"Why did you do it?" Cas said with a steely tone.

Gabriel, under no illusion as what Castiel meant, said simply "It was the best and safest way to keep everyone safely out of the way. Sam won't die, if that's what you're worried about. When he wakes up, and he will wake up probably in a few days, I'll heal any damage that Lucy did to him even if I have to take it on myself."

Castiel just stood and looked at his older brother with a frown on his face. "The place where he is being kept is heavily warded. How are you going to get in and out without tripping the wards?"

Gabriel just smirked and said mysteriously "Trust me, little brother. I can do it and none shall be the wiser."

Cas just stood there frowning at his brother angel and said "You hurt Dean pretty badly when you did that. Do you enjoy torturing him?"

Now it was Gabe's turn to frown. "Castiel, Dean will be fine once his precious Sammy wakes up. After all, it was YOUR idea to keep them out of this. Not that they really need to be involved in this anyway."

"I don't see why you don't come back home and take over. Things would be much simpler if you did. Raphael wouldn't be trying to restart the Apocalypse and the Winchesters can have the 'apple pie life' that they have always wanted." Cas said.

Gabe shook his head and replied "No. I left for a reason. I never wanted to be the big kahuna and everyone knew it. All you need to do to win the fight against Raph is to find the weapons that aren't even supposed to be here and use them in your fight. Please don't drag me into this more than I already am. I will help you, but I'm not interested in observing another fight between my brothers. I've both been there and done that and I don't want to do it again."

Back at the infirmary, Faith heard a slight noise and turned around to see Dean getting out of the chair that he had been sitting in, taking his leather jacket off and placing it on Sam's chest. He then put Sam's arms around it the way a child would hold a teddy bear while sleeping. She watched as Dean shifted his brother over a little and then crawled in, curled protectively around Sam and fell asleep. His face smoothing out. Faith thought that they looked adorable and pulled her phone out to snap a picture of the two brothers sleeping. They both looked so young and innocent in their sleep. She quietly shut the door and posted a 'do not disturb' sign on the door. Then she went to find Buffy.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A few hours later, both Faith and Buffy went to the infirmary, removed the 'Do Not Disturb Sign' and went in. Then they stealthily approached the bed with the two men in it, only to find the muzzle of a pistol pointing in their direction. They looked at Dean and found him wide awake and wary. When he recognized the two women, he put the safety back on and re-holstered it in the waist band of his jeans. They just looked at him, startled.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He said in a quietly gruff voice as he carefully rolled off the bed and landed gracefully and quietly on the floor. Faith quickly took the chair beside the bed, picked up one of Sam's hands and curled her fingers around his. She saw that the jacket that his brother had placed on him was still there in the same position.

"What's with the jacket?" Faith asked.

"That's Sam's hoodie." Dean replied, walking over to Buffy. When he saw the confused looks, he clarified.

"It's sort of like a security blanket. Whenever he gets sick, he doesn't sleep very well without it."

"And the reference to the hoodie?" Buffy asked and was slightly surprised to see his face go red with embarrassment.

He cleared his throat. "That's how Sam knows when _I'm_ sick. I usually borrow one of his hoodies to wear."

"I'm guessing that that doesn't happen very often." Buffy said dryly.

"You got that right." He replied with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She looked at him with loving eyes and said "Come on. There's pizza and coffee in the staff kitchen. You look like you need to eat and then get some rest."

"Yeah. Sure." He said casting a glance at his brother lying on the bed. Buffy laid a hand on his arm and quietly said "Faith will keep an eye on him. If he wakes up, she'll let us know." Then Buffy grabbed his wrist and started pulling him towards the door. He let her lead him to the kitchen, dropped down on a chair and grabbed some pizza from the box.

After he had eaten his fill, he went with her to her office and crashed out on her sofa. After she was sure that he was asleep, she went outside to check on the Impala. Made sure that it was locked up and then she raised her head to the sky, drank in the starry sky and called out softly "Castiel. Castiel, I need to speak with you about Dean."

With a small rustle he appeared beside her. Cocking his head, he replied. "Is he okay?"

She spun into an defensive stance and then straightened. "Are you trying to get hurt?" She asked.

"No. You said that you wished to speak with me about Dean." He reminded her, gently.

"Do you love him?" She asked, looking at him with piercing green eyes.

His face crinkled in confusion. "I do not understand the question."

"Do. You. Love. Dean." She said, speaking slowly.

"I share a profound bond with him. If that is what you're asking." Cas replied, still sounding a little confused.

She sighed, exasperated with the angel. He just looked more confused.

"I don't understand what you're asking." Cas said, starting to sound distressed at his lack of comprehension of her meaning. "Define Love."

She looked at him as if he had suddenly grown an extra head. "You're an angel and you don't know the definition of love?"

"No. I know ALL the definitions of love. To which one are you specifically referring to?"

"Love as in the romantic, I want to jump your bones all the time kind of love." She replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No. I have the kind of love for him where I will do anything to protect him even if it means being barred from my home." He replied. He was about to say something else, but instead he brought his head around sharply to his left, his Blade slipping down and into his hand. He noted that Buffy had also noticed something, because she back to being in a defensive fighting stance and was looking in the same direction that he was, their conversation momentarily forgotten.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hello, Angel." A cultured British voice said. He sounded rather pleasant and as he stepped into the light, Buffy noted the carefully tailored black suit, slacks and tie. She also noticed Cas relax slightly and his Blade slipped back up his sleeve. She wondered where he _really_ kept it.

"Crowley." Cas said, greeting the new-comer.

Crowley glanced briefly at Buffy and then turned his attention back to the angel. 'He reminds me a little of Spike.' She thought, watching Cas and Crowley. She could literally feel the pure evil and power coming off of Crowley and looked enquiringly at Castiel. With a slight shake of Cas' head, she stayed where she was.

"How are Moose and Squirrel?" Crowley asked with an off-handed tone, inspecting his well-manicured nails, but Cas could hear the subtle under-tone of interest behind the apparent disinterest.

"They're fine." Cas responded guardedly. "What do you want, Crowley?"

"I have some business to discuss." Crowley replied. His eyes flicked briefly towards the blonde Slayer. "In private."

Cas looked at her intently. '_Go. Be with Dean. He will need you even if he won't admit it.' _She heard in her head. Then the two beings disappeared. _God, I hate telepathy._ She thought acknowledging that Crowley, who or whatever he was, didn't need to know about Sam. As she headed inside, she resolved to get the 411 on this Crowley from Dean. _And if he doesn't know anything, well then, that's what research is for._ She did as Cas told her and walked back to her office.

As she entered, she heard a soft, pained moan."S'mmy, don't go! Don' lea'me again!" Dean mumbled desperately in his sleep, as a tear slipped from one of his closed eyes.

She decided that now was a good time to wake him up, before his dream got worse. "Dean." Buffy said softly, carefully shaking him. "Dean, baby, wake up."

His snapped open and she easily deflected the punch he threw at her.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he swung his feet to the floor in order to sit up properly.

"It's okay." She said, shrugging. "I react the same way sometimes."

As she looked into his beautiful emerald green eyes, he blinked away the sleep. "What time is it?" He asked, as she got up and sat down beside him, taking one of his hands to hold in her's. She ignored the question instead she asked "You want to tell me about that dream?"

"Nah. It's just the same old same old." He replied, which to her meant nothing, but she didn't press the issue. Instead she straddled his lap and started kissing his face. Feather-light and chaste. The kisses rarely lasted for more than a few seconds. When he tried to capture her mouth for what he deemed to be a _proper_ kiss, she moved her head and chuckled softly.

"Not yet, baby. I'm in control right now." she said, desire making her voice a little husky.

He had been turned on when the light kisses started, now he was completely hard. He groaned, desire spiking through his body. He grabbed her hips and grinded against her. Getting even more turned on when he heard her breath start to speed up and saw her eyes darken with her own desire. He made quick work of removing her shirt and bra. She gasped as the pleasure and desire coursed through her body, as he drew one of her nipples into his mouth and played with it with his tongue. When he went to kiss her, she pushed him away and got up. She stripped off her pants and underwear, already wet for him. She then quickly divested him of his clothes. As she prepared to sit back down on his hard member, he held up his hand to stop her.

"Just a minute. You got protection?" He asked, in a desire roughened voice. She almost came right then at the intense desire in his eyes as his eyes raked up and down her naked body.

"Yeah. Bottom drawer of my desk." Her voice wispy with wanton desire.

He glanced over at her desk and decided that it was too far away. Instead, he reached for his jacket, removed the condom from his wallet and ripped the envelope carefully with his teeth. She knelt between his legs, took the condom from him and slowly, tortuously rolled it down his thick, hard length. After she made sure it was on securely, she stroked him a couple of times and smiled as his breathing roughened. This time he growled low in his throat. She stood up and once again straddled his lap, taking his hard shaft up into her. Their groans of pleasure matched as she started to raise and lower herself on him. His hands helping and guiding her. His fingers digging into her ass. On anyone else he might have left bruises, but she is a Slayer and Slayers heal quickly. It wasn't long before she reached her climax with his following seconds after. She rested her head on his shoulder as their breathing and heart beats returned to normal. When Buffy got up, he removed the condom, tied it up and tossed it in the wastebasket.

"God, I needed that. And by the feel of it, so did you." Dean said, watching her dress. His penis twitched a little with interest, but he decided to follow her lead and get dressed. When she continued to be silent, he started to worry, especially since she was apparently avoiding his eyes. He got up and went to her.

"What's the matter, babe?" He asked, capturing her face in his hands so that he could see her eyes. He relaxed a little as he recognized the dreamy jade quality of her eyes. He forgot his question as he captured her mouth with his. As they kissed slow and deep, her office phone rang, shattering the intimate moment. Buffy smiled as he cursed softly under his breath while she answered the phone.

"Buffy Summers." She said in greeting.

Her eyes flicked over to Dean as she listened to the person on the phone.

"Hey. How're you doing?" She asked as her eyes slowly traveling up and down Dean's body, mentally undressing him. Dean gave her his patented panty-dropping grin and started to slowly remove his t-shirt when her attention was recaptured by the caller. Dean knew he had lost Buffy's attention when she frowned.

"Everything okay?" He mouthed, dropping the hem of his shirt so that it settled back at the waist band of his worn jeans. Buffy gave him a quick shake of her head, indicating that something was indeed wrong.

He frowned as she asked "You guys need any help?" Concern lacing her voice. "Uh huh. Okay. How many?"

As she listened to the reply, she turned her back to Dean and started to twist the phone cord absently around her finger.

"Yeah. We can do that. You want a couple recent grads or experienced?" She paused as she listened to the reply.

Dean walked to up and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him and closed her eyes. She sighed in response to what the mystery caller said.

"I'm sorry, Angel, but Faith and I aren't available right now."

At the mention of the caller's name, Dean tightened his grip around possessively. Not enough to hurt, but enough to let her know about how he felt regarding her relationship with Angel.

"No, Angel! It's none of your business why we're not available! We just _aren't_!" Then she sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Look, how about I send Vi and Fiona? They're experienced enough to be able to help with your sitch."

Dean dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"Look, I'll send the two girls down on the first flight out in the morning." She said in her Don't Piss Me Off voice.

"Yes, they're in town." She confirmed. "What are you? twelve?" She asked, rolling her eyes and Dean snickered quietly. He had forgotten that Angel had super hearing.

"Yes. He's standing right behind me." She replied through clenched teeth. She listened as Angel said something that had anger sparking through her.

"Dammit, Angel! You gave up that right the night that you left Sunnydale! You know what? I'm _not_ having this conversation with you again! I'll send the girls and they will help you with your demon and vampire problem! And the next time you call for help, talk to Andrew! He's our H.R person." She said angrily and slammed the phone on to the receiver.

"God! He makes me so angry sometimes!" Buffy said, turning around in her lover's arms so that she could see his eyes. Her anger dying a slow death.

"Only sometimes?" Dean asked, smirking. She could see that it didn't quite reach his eyes, although she had to tilt her head back a little to actually see them. There was just a _tiny_ hint of insecurity lurking in those emerald green eyes of his. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him the best she could.

"You know I love you, right?" She murmured, snuggling up against him.

"Of course I know." Dean replied, enjoying the warm, soft feel of her against him. If Buffy hadn't been a Slayer, she would have missed the tiniest bit of relief that she had heard in his voice.

She was amazed sometimes at just how insecure he really was. Dean projected the image of a big, strong manly man asshole flirt so well that people quite often didn't really look beyond it to the man underneath. THAT man was a frightened, insecure little boy that had to grow up way too fast. She cut off those thoughts and sighed. Content just to be held in his warms arms. He was also content just to hold her.

Normally, Dean was a love'em and leave'em kinda guy, but ever since he hooked up with Buffy almost three years ago, he had given up on casual sex with random chicks. Sure, he still flirted with them, after all he did have an image to maintain, but he just didn't want to hurt his girl by abusing her trust in him. And, if he ever felt the urge to give in to his needs, well, that's what a shower and his hand was for.

Buffy groaned and reluctantly said "As much as I like this and want it to continue, I do actually have some work to do." Then she pulled out of his warm embrace. He pouted at her, his eyes playful.

"As much as I'd like to play, sweetie, demons and vamps come first." She said, regret clear in both her voice and eyes. She turned and started towards the door of her office. Then she stopped and turned back towards him. "That reminds me. Do you know a guy named Crowley?"

Buffy saw him stiffen and his eyes go wary. "I'll take that as a yes." She said, watching him.

"I'll tell you all I that I know about him tomorrow. After I finish dropping Vi and Fee off at the airport." He replied.

She nodded and headed out the door to tell the two Slayers of their L.A. mission. Dean followed her out and headed to the infirmary to check on his brother. When he quietly walked in, he saw that Faith had pulled the chair as close to the bed as possible. She had fallen asleep with her head on the bed and his brother's hand in her's. He stopped at the foot of the bed and eyed Sam worriedly, wondering what was going on in that head of his.

He saw the jacket was now placed across Sam's chest diagonally with his other arm across it. "Come on, baby brother, wake up." Dean whispered quietly, his eyes filled with worry and tears that he resolutely ignored. He wasn't going to cry again.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: If you want to know what's going on in Sam's head please watch Season 6 episode 22 of Supernatural.**_

Chapter 6

Dean pulled up another chair and sat on the opposite side of Faith. He watched her sleep and wondered what her story was regarding Sam. His eyes went back to his unconscious brother's face, worry and a hint of fear shining through. He still remembered what his time in Hell was like and chances were that Sam's was ten times worse. Not to mention the year he spent hunting without his soul. He briefly wondered what Faith would have made of Sam during that year.

_'It's not like I asked her to marry me, Dean.' Sam told him as they headed out on a possible haunting. Sam looked the picture of depressed and Dean's heart twisted in his chest. His mouth tightened into a straight line as he tried to keep hold of his temper. He wanted to kick that bitch's ass for hurting his baby brother, but he knew that Sam would probably just defend her even though she was perfectly capable of defending herself. _

_'All I asked her was if she would like to move in with me.' Sam continued, morosely staring at his hands in his lap. 'You know that I'm looking for a more permanent place to live and there's a couple of apartments that I'm gonna check out when we get back.' _

_Dean just nodded, turned on the music and they drove in silence for a while. He knew what a big deal this was for Sam. Ever since Jess died, Sam hasn't really had a solid relationship with another woman. In fact, Sam tended to shy away from women, so when he got involved with Faith, it was a huge deal and Sam had seemed really happy. Although, the last few months his relationship with Faith seemed to be going downhill and the longer that it went on the more upset and depressed Sam became and that REALLY pissed Dean off. That was also one of the reasons that he had dragged Sam away from Cleveland on a hunt that will probably yield nothing more than kids playing pranks.  
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His mind came back to the present when he heard Faith wake up. When he looked over to her saw remorse and love fill her eyes as she looked at the face of her lover. He grunted softly to let her know that he was there and she looked over at him. Her expression changing to one of wariness.

"Look, sister," he started looking at her with what she thought was an unreadable expression. "I don't know what's goin' on between you and Sammy and, honestly, it's none of my business, but if you keep hurting him like you have been you're going to have to deal with me. And I don't give a SHIT that you're a Slayer and can, and probably will, kick my ass. But not before I lay a SERIOUS hurt on you." He said all of that with soft menace, not taking his eyes off his brother's face.

"You're right. It is none of your business." She replied, taking on of Sam's hands in her's and gently squeezed it to let him know that someone was there waiting for him to wake up.

Meanwhile, at this point, Sam was busy running and hiding in the woods.

Buffy entered the room, went over to Faith and whispered something to her. Faith nodded in response and reluctantly got up and left.

Faith decided that she needed some air, so after grabbing something to eat, she headed out to the parking lot and looked longingly at the Black Beauty as she has come to call the Impala. She knows full well that the Winchester brothers call her Baby, but for Faith, that doesn't seem very accurate. As she slides her hand over the car, from the hood to the trunk, she recalls the last conversation that she had with Sam.

He had asked her to move in with him when him and Dean got back from whatever 'hunt' (yes she this is how she thinks of what they call slaying) that Dean had dragged him on. She can't say that she really _liked _Dean per se, because he was totally rockin' the bad boy vibe and she wanted to stay as far away from that as possible, but she couldn't fault him on his loyalty and devotion to his younger brother. That's what makes being around Dean bearable to her. That and the fact that Buffy was totally into him. And he was totally into her. Whereas, she was totally into the innocent geek-boy image that Sam routinely projects. That's one of the things that totally turns her on. She sighs sadly and tears slip unknowingly down her face.

She doesn't know what Sam's going to be like when he wakes up and she's never really met Soulless Sam. From what little Dean has said about that year, she gets the impression that as bad as she has been, Soulless Sam was roughly ten times worse and that's saying something. She knew what a risk he had taken by asking her to move in with him and, given Dean's current attitude towards her, she had hurt him quite badly. She knew that the last time that he had lived with another woman that he loved, she had died in a horrible fire. She Googled it the first time he had talked about it and found out that he had given her the barest amount of information about it even though it had happened over five years ago. When Faith saw the photo of his then girlfriend Jess, she immediately noticed the similarities to her sister Slayer Buffy and figured that, even if Dean hadn't gone after Buffy, Sam would never even attempt it. It didn't matter that Buffy was in what the Winchesters called 'the life' and knew the score in a way that Jess clearly hadn't, but the little blonde Slayer reminded him a little too much of what he had lost. Of course, that didn't stop him from treating her like a sister that he adored, but that's about as far as it will ever go with them and Faith is happy with that. And then her thoughts wandered back to that night.

_She knew that something was up by the wary expression that he was wearing. "'Fess up, lover boy." She said, smirking "I know that there's something you wanna say to me." He had smiled so sweetly and lovingly at her that her breath had caught in her throat and she wondered, not for the first time, what she had done to deserve someone so sweet and sexy and loving. "I'm looking for a place here in Cleveland and I was wondering if you would, you know, move in with me."_

_She stared at him in stunned amazement. Not a single one of her past lovers had ever asked her that with that much sincerity and love. It honestly scared the shit out of her and, as a result, she made the most heart-breaking decision she had ever made in the interest of self-preservation. She laughed. "Are you serious? Look, Sam, what we have is great, but I don't love you and I sure as hell don't want to be exclusive like that. No. My answer is no." She was lying through her teeth and the amount of pain that had briefly flashed through his beautiful hazel eyes just about killed her, but there was no way that she could or would take back what she said even though it probably meant the end of their relationship. He had pulled himself up to his full height, something he almost never did, nodded an acknowledgement and then he just left. She honestly hadn't expected him to just suck it up and leave without a fight, but that's exactly what he did. He didn't see the tears stream down her face and the next morning, when she went to talk to him, she had been informed that he had left with Dean with an uncertain return date._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You know, kiddo, that really wasn't very nice." A voice said from behind her. She whirled around into a fighting stance as she took in the short, blonde man.

"What wasn't?" She asked warily, a little irritated with herself for being too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice someone approaching.

"What you said to Sasquatch that night." He replied, gazing at her with an unreadable expression. "Especially since it was clearly a lie. Not that he would have noticed. Winchesters can be notoriously dense that way. Particularly that one."

"Who are you?" Faith asked, still on edge. She knew that who, or what, ever this person was, he wasn't human. _'Thank you ancient shamans.' _

"Hmmm. Let's just call me an old acquaintance of the Tweedles." He replied somewhat playfully, an unwrapped cherry tootsie pop suddenly appearing in his hand. "Want one?" He offered. Another appearing in his other hand.

"Great. First angels and now a what-ever the hell you are. And no thanks. I don't do lollypops." She replied, somewhat hostile.

She noticed that he _actually_ _looked_ offended by her response. "Ohhh, kiddo, you really should be careful about who you are snarky to. Just remember, it is never wise to offend a Trickster." and with that, he disappeared into thin air.

She just stood there, still on defense and looked confused. After a few minutes of nothing, she turns around and heads back in. She heads immediately to what she refers to as the 'geek room' to see if anyone's there to help her research Tricksters.

The first person that she runs into is Buffy.

"Faith, what happened to your hair? It's bright cherry red!" Buffy asks, smothering her amusement.

Faith just growled in response and scowled at her sister Slayer. "What do you know about Tricksters?" She asked.

"Ummm. Nothing. Why?" Buffy asked, her amusement still clear in her eyes.

Faith grunted and started to stalk towards their library when Buffy called to her.

"Ask Dean. I think him and Sam dealt with one once." Buffy said, continuing on her way to get the girls.

"Thanks, B. I'll do that." Faith replied and headed in the direction of the infirmary.

When she got there, Dean was carding his hand through Sam's hair and speaking quietly, urging Sam to please wake up. He looked up when she closed the door. He looked at her with a neutral expression on his face. It unnerved her a little.

"Faith, I didn't think that you were gone that long." He said, pointing to her newly coloured hair. She snorted in disgust.

"A _Trickster_ did this." She said heatedly. She did like the colour, but the way it happened pretty much insured that it would be a permanent thing unless she figured out a way to pacify the Trickster. She knew a curse when she saw one.

When Faith saw amusement light in Dean's eyes, she glared at him.

"What did he look like?" Dean asked, smirking.

She glared at him. "I don't know. Short, brownish-blonde hair, whiskey coloured eyes. Olive jacket, black shirt, jeans and work boots. Kind of like the ones you wear." She stopped when Dean chuckled.

"What the hell did you do to piss _him_ off?" Dean asked. "Oh, Sammy. You gotta wake up to see this."

"I declined a lollypop. You _know _him?" Faith asked incredulously.

"Sweetheart, you must have done more than just decline a lollypop. He rarely doles out punishment without a reason. Even if he's the only one who understands it." He replied, a somewhat malicious look in his eyes.

"Who the _hell_ is he? And how do I get my original hair colour back?" She whined.

"You pray. To him. Repeatedly and often. And when he feels like it, he'll fix it." _'Probably when Sam wakes up and makes the request for you.'_

"But _who_ is he?" She asked, feeling a little desperate.

Dean got up from his chair and headed to the door, looking supremely amused. "Calls himself Loki. Don't worry, though. He'll be keeping his eye on you. And, trust me, that's never a good thing." He said, a little darkly. "Now if you don't mind, I gotta get going. Promised Buffy that I'd drop a couple of Slayers off at the airport."

She nodded and let him pass.

"See ya later, Sammy." Dean called back, as if his brother was just faking being asleep.

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><p><em>AN: Sorry it took me so long with this chapter. Writer's block plus illness equals no working on the story. Please review. I'm desperate for feedback for this story. If no one likes it, I'll discontinue or put it up for adoption._


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